Resolve to Change, but Hope to Survive
by Fair Strides
Summary: "What would it take to make you change? Friends? A video game? Danger and excitement?" Yuko Minaka will find the answer, even though she never asked the question. All she thought about was playing the newest RPG in existence, having been lucky enough to get one of the 10,000 in existence.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hey, readers! This is my first fanfic ever, but I can't say "Go easy on me, please!" If I were to ask that, how could you be strict with me, and how could become a better writer?**

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"This ends the tutorial for the official Sword Art Online launch. I wish you all the best of luck."

And with that, the red-robed Akihiko disappeared. There was silence everywhere as people were still trying to process the doom Akihiko had laid on all of us. Then the dam burst; some people screamed and some began to cry, some tried to run others tried to hide. Chaos rained all around me, but I couldn't move.

_ Why...? Why would such a smart man do this? 10,000 people! These are people's lives, full of their own wants and fears, memories and regrets; you can't mess with that! You just _can't_._ This was the only thing going through my mind, even as my world closed in around me.

"Mina! Miiinaa!" my mom called up the stairs.

"Coming, mom!" I shouted as I raced to the stairs.

"We'll be going to the store soon, but we'll be back in a few hours, okay?"

"Okay, mom. I won't be doing much, just playing a new game I bought."

"Ugghh. How did a girl like you ever got into video games...? I can only blame your father for that."

"Don't worry, mom. The games can't harm me, so what's the trouble?"

That was the last thing I said to anybody. The last thing before I put on the Nerve Gear. And now I'm stuck in this death game...

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**So how'd I do, guys? I'm hoping to get good at this and take the story as far as it'll take me. Until next time, please R&R!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/U: Well, here's chapter two for now, though I will refer to it as chapter 1 because the first was really only a prologue.**

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Last night was terrible. After Akihiko's little "tutorial", everyone was in a panic until way past midnight, when even the most traumatized had to sleep before they went mad. I turned in earlier than most, but when you only get four hours of sleep you don't look so great in the morning.

Unfortunately, I had to look great. Someone figured out my gaming history and blabbed about how many RPG and action games I'd beaten within the past three years. Ever since then, I've had a group of three people clinging to me. They probably would have slept at the foot of the bed if I hadn't kicked them out at the door.

As much as I didn't want to see the trio, I knew I had to eat. Well, pretend to eat. SAO uses the Nerve Gear, which intercepts any signals inside your brain; that means that eating in the game only makes you think you're not hungry. Still, it's the best I've got and the food can't be too bad. I throw on some clothes and head downstairs.

"Minui!" _Ughh_, I thought. _It just had to be this one_. The smallest of the three, and probably only 12 years old, ran up to meet me as I came down the stairs. His gaming name was Meton; he's about 5'3", has brown hair that almost covers his left eye, and always seems to bounce around on his heels with energy. The others, a boy and a young woman, hurried over when they heard him call my name.

"Morning, Minui!" the boy said as he came up. At 5'7", I was guessing he was around 16. Slightly on the tall side, he looked thin and wiry; I wouldn't want to race him with his Agility leveled-up. The last member of the trio walked a few steps behind the boy. She looked close to my age, so I'd say she was 14 or early 15. She was a few inches shorter than me, but slimmer, more petite. Despite that, she still looked to hold some strength of her own.

"Sorry we didn't get to talk much last night. You understand how it was. I'm Minoto, by the way." he said as he shook my hand. I was put off by his formal manner, but at the same time a little touched. Then I saw the young woman looking at Minoto and me. I realized we were still holding hands, so I abruptly dropped his. "Hey, Minui. Did you have any trouble sleeping last night?" she asked, being nice again. "I'm Kina."

"Well, it's nice to meet you all, but I need a minute to wake up," I told them, still feeling a little groggy from lack of sleep and the barrage of talking early in the morning. I walked over to a table and ordered a cup of coffee and a plate of anything they had on stock from a passing waitress. When it came, it was black, as black as I'd seen my dad's. I'd always figured he was too busy to add anything to it, but right now I was thinking it was because he'd needed the kick to get him going.

_Well, if I ever need it, now's the time._ And down the hatch it goes, the bitterness packing more of a kick than I'd imagined it would.

I grimaced as I set the half-empty cup down. but already I was thinking clearer and getting my bearings. I called the others over and said I wanted to talk with them up in my room after I finished eating.

"Minui, what did you want to talk about?" Meton asked as he sat down on the floor.

"Well, I wanted to talk about SAO. I'm not sure about you three, but role-playing games aren't foreign to me, and I know my way around action and adventure games," I said, deciding to be blunt about the topic. Then I saw them giving me quizzical looks. "What I'm saying is that I can fight and advance in this game, but I'm not sure about you guys."

"Well, why didn't you say that in the first place?" Minoto asked from the wall, where he'd been leaning ever since he came into the room. "I've been into those types of games for about four years now. But SAO isn't like those games. You're in the game, not controlling some imaginary character. What happens to you in the game, you feel. It's not like you're watching a character and thinking, 'Ow! he just got smashed from behind.' This is real, and if you want to talk about it being just a game, then you'd better re-define it real fast."

Everybody in the room tensed with the sudden passion in Minoto's voice. The passion, and the anger. Kina walked over and put her arm around his shoulder, hugging him one-handedly while saying soothing things to calm him down. She looked over at me, not reproachful this time, but kind of understandingly.

"I'm sorry about that, Minui," she apologized, still soothing Minoto. "He's usually not like this, but he's still pretty shaken-up about last night." I mentally stepped back and looked at the three of them, suddenly in a whole new light.

"Do you three ... all know each other in the real world?"

They each looked up at me in weird ways, as if the answer was obvious. "Yeah, we all know each other," Kina said. "Minoto's my boyfriend, and Meton is my younger brother. We all decided to stay up late and play for a few hours, but then Akihiko sprung his ultimatum on us."

I was speechless. Three people, who all knew each other. And only one of them had any combat experience that I knew of. This wasn't going to be easy.

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**A/U: So Minui got stuck with a trio of possibly inept players. How is she gonna handle it?**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/U: Sorry it took so long for chapter three, guys. I had it on my desktop and thought I'd already uploaded it. I like the short chapters in the beginning, but I think they'll get bigger as the story unfolds.**

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They were all looking at me now, with my head bent and me staring off into the distance. Kina and Minoto must have given each other a look because suddenly both were kneeling near me, Kina a bit closer. "Minui, what's wrong?" Kina asked.

I hesitated before I answered, not sure if I wanted to tell her. Taking a deep breath, I started to talk. "It's just... Minoto's right; this isn't a game. If one of us dies here, we won't make it back to the real world. I've played lots of adventures and worlds, but none of them were like this. I'm... not sure if I'll make it back. I tried not to show it last night, and I was too tired earlier, but I'm scared, more scared than I've ever been before."

Kina squatted down on her knees and grabbed my hand. "Mina, look at me," she said gently, but forcefully. I raised my eyes, but that was it. "I know you're scared. So am I, and Minoto, Meton, and everybody else. We're all stuck thinking that we might not make it home, or that someone might try to remove our Nerve Gear. But that doesn't mean we have to give into our fear. Let's try to get somewhere in this world, at least. What do you say?"

Before I could answer, I felt another hand grab my free one, and after a slight pause, I felt a distant tug through the link that told me another hand had joined the link. I looked up in surprise to see the three of them grouped around me, each of them smiling encouragingly and their eyes full of hope and warmth. I couldn't help but be moved by it; it simply hadn't happened before.

"Look, Minui," Minoto was trying to get my attention, "I didn't mean what I said; I just got carried away a bit. I wasn't trying to make you scared or anything. So please forget what I said. Please."

After a few seconds pause, I looked hard at the three of them. "Well, where do we start?"

We left the inn, choosing to go and explore the city for the day. Even though it was just Beginner Town, there was still plenty to explore: there were various stores, ranging from weapons shops to small item shops, there were weird villagers, lots of players, and the odd traveler every now and then. Minoto and Meton were especially interested in the various armors and weapons, but they knew they couldn't affod anything. Kina surprised me, not only by being an avid shopper, but having an eye for good deals too.

We stopped near town square for a light lunch, using up the last beginner money we had. Kina and the others talked about what they'd seen and liked in town, but I kept quiet. Don't ask me why, but I've never been real social; I guess I'll be avoiding coffee from now on...

"So, did you find anything interesting, Minui?"

"Oh," I say, startled out of my thoughts. I looked around and realized that Meton was asking me a question. "No, not really anything that caught my eye. How about you guys?"

Then Minoto and Meton launched into a discussion about the various weapons and their stats, which soon had me seeing too many numbers and getting dizzy. I think Kina must have seen my dazed expression because she gave a small laugh and motioned for the guys to be quiet. Then she handed each of us a small book, only about the size of a small diary.

Meton didn't look very enthusiastic about it. "Sis, why'd you give me a book? You know I don't like reading!"

She gave him a look that managed to be reproving and encouraging all at the same time. "Because this isn't just a book. This is the Adventurer's Guide, a compilation of tips and hints and a lot of other stuff from the Beta Testers. And it was free at the item stores."

That got my attention. "Wait, so you mean we can get extra info about the game? Like what?" Kina looked at me and smiled. "Like how the game works, the basics behind combat, and some tips for the first floor. And that's just what I saw skimming through it. I figured we could go over it back at the inn."

That night we read a lot of the first few chapters. Though each of us was just skimming through a section and sharing what we found, it turned out to be kinda fun. Unfortunately, I had to stop after a few hours; too much reading for me in one day.

Before I hit the sack, we made plans to get up early and try our hands at combat near the town. As I lay in bed that night, I have a lot to think about: my new situation, each of the others, and home. I miss it so much already, even though it's only been two days. It's discomforting to know that I'm so close and so far away at the same time.

It hurts to know that in a way I am home, my body at least. I'm too sad to think anymore and fall asleep still trying to cry my sadness into my pillow.

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**A/U: Not really sure how you guys reacted to this chapter, but I hope you enjoy it more and more as I keep going. Don't forget to review, people; it encourages me to keep thinking about my story and the more I think about it the more I'll write.,/b**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/U: Sorry it's been a while since I updated; I've been preoccupied with my senior year in high school. And it looks like I'll be moving out of my brother's room soon!**

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"Remember, it's a smooth motion. It's almost like a reflex reaction when you do it right."

So said Minoto, paraphrasing from the Adventurer's Guide as Kina tried unsuccessfully to activate a Sword Skill.

She'd been trying all morning to get it down, as we all were. Getting up and out of town by nine in the morning hadn't been fun, but we needed to be out early to have a chance at some experience points. So far, each of us had had some level of success with our Sword Skills, which was an ironic name since a lot of the players weren't using anything resembling a sword. We also managed to recover some of our money in the process.

It was about one in the afternoon now, and Kina still hadn't activated a Sword Skill; Minoto and her stayed at it while Meton and me went back to town to bring back some lunch. We took our time walking back, enjoying the scenery. The Beginner Town was in some grassy plains, filled with boar, elk, and other creatures. With plenty of sun and a gentle breeze, we could have been enjoying a nice summer day at home. I asked Meton what his home was like.

"Oh, it's nothing special. My dad works as a Sushi Chef in a restaurant downtown. Mom stays at home, and Sis and me are always in school."

"Really? Where do you and Kina live?"

"Tokyo. We moved there about three years ago."

"Why did you move?"

"Because there wasn't much of a demand in the country or the mountains; the cities were our last option, unless we wanted to leave Japan."

We continued walking along the path for a while in silence. Eventually, Meton got me to tell him about my home. I told him as quick as I could about my little brother and parents; he seemed a bit put out by my not talking a lot, but I couldn't help it. I'm not a talkative person, never have been really.

Shortly after telling about my family, we walked through the gates and headed to the Market. We quickly grabbed some food and headed back to Kina and Minoto. As we walked up, we saw Kina try again to activate her Sword Skill. She still didn't have it down, but this time I saw something that could help her.

"Sis, we brought some lunch!" Minoto called, grabbing their attention.

"About time; I'm starving!" Minoto said as he hungrily attacked a sandwich. Kina was a bit slower. She threw her katana down and slumped down near a tree. She looked more disappointed than I had thought. I tentatively asked Minoto if there had been any change; he said no and that Kina's disappointment was starting to worry him.

After lunch, I took Kina aside and asked her to try to activate a Sword Skill. She got annoyed and told me that she'd _been_ trying. I calmly told her that she _was_ trying, but not in the right way. She was pausing and waiting for the Sword Skill to activate, but they activate when you make _all_ of the motions, the catch and the release.

"You're catching it, but you're not releasing the Sword Skill. You need to mean it when you swing the sword, then it'll activate."

She looked a little wary; I hoped she didn't resent me for pointing it out.

"I don't believe you, but it makes a little sense," she said, meeting my eyes. "I'm willing to give it another go."

"That's the spirit! Now let's get back to the guys."

When Kina tried the Sword Skill this time, things were different. She drew the sword back over her shoulder, her arm stretched back, her blade away from her body. A short pause, and she started to swing, stopped. She tried again, and just before she swung, the sword glowed with the Sword Skill. Suddenly, Kina lunged forward and brought the katana up sharply in front of her chest. I was shocked; if she used that Sword Skill in a duel, it'd be devastating if a shield couldn't move in time.

She panted, sword still up, while Minoto and Meton cheered. I waited until she turned back to look at us before I smiled and nodded. She saw it and nodded back, a grin forming on her face.

After that, our training went better. Over the next few days, we each gained a lot of practice with our Sword Skills. I didn't get as much work in, but that's because I was too busy watching everybody else. It was a habit I had, watching people; I found out early on that you can learn a lot about someone just by watching them. That is how I learned that Minoto had a talent for leadership. He got us out practicing every day, picked out spots to go to early before the players swarmed them, and he was in charge of training us.

I came in as a second leader, at least in my head. If he ever ran into trouble, I'd be there to take up the slack and make sure everybody was okay. In all of the games I played, I protected my team no matter what, and I was going to need that trait more than ever now that the stakes were higher.

As things were, I talked to Minoto about our training. He wasn't sure how much time we should invest in training, but he wanted each of to be developed in at least _some_ weapons before we tried to advance. I suggested some sparring matches, and was amused by the look on his face. I explained my reasoning: the enemies had pre-programmed algorithms for combat, so it'd be tiresome to learn each enemy's attack patterns. It'd be more efficient to learn to react to unexpected moves and how to react faster in combat.

"And besides, what could be more unpredictable than a teenager?" I asked him, a tone of amusement in my voice. It made him grin, and I believed that he'd consider it seriously.

"The rules are simple: only two spar at a time, we initiate a duel, and we stop when health reaches yellow, okay? You can use anything you want, except any under-handed tricks. You can use the environment any way you can think of, and any Sword Skills you choose to use. We can look at some under-handed tricks later on, once we have more experience."

All of us nodded, out attention fixed on Minoto. It had been three days since I mentioned the sparring sessions, and a week since we were stuck in the game.

"The first spar will be between Kina and Minui!"

I smiled inside. _He doesn't have to play the arena announcer, does he?_ I thought wryly, given his enthusiasm and booming tone.

I went to my place, ten meters away from Kina, in a small square we'd heeled into the grass to represent the sparring field. I turned around and faced Kina. She armed herself with her katana, and I got out my longsword. I chose not to use a shield, preferring the one-handed sword's feel in my hands during combat.

"Begin!"

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**A/U: Well, aren't I just the jerk? :) I thought it'd be nice to cut it here, since I delved into the character personalities a lot in this chapter. I hope you're still with me on this, because I have lots more planned for the future. Until next time, have fun.**


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